English: The
flag of
Greece (since 1978) & the Naval Ensign of
Greece (since 1828).
Nine stripes symbolizing the nine syllables of the motto of the Greek Independence struggle "Liberty or Death", in greek "E-lef-the-ri-a -i- Tha-na-tos", which led to the formation of modern Greece. The stripes are in blue and white, standing for the deep blue sea and the clear skies. The cross at the top, left-hand corner is the St. George's cross and emphasizes the deep-rooted connection between the country and Christianity.
The blue and white colours of the Greek flag symbolize the blue of the sky and sea and the white of the light of the sun, colors that were preserved in the hellenic history from the shield of Achilles, the banners of Alexander the Great, the flags of Konstantinos Palaiologos to the colours of the emblem of the first king of the Hellenes in the modern times.